I wonder how many people got home from work last night and turned on their televisions, only to see static and snow?
The switch to digital broadcasting has been announced for years, and the opportunity to get free converter boxes has been drummed into our heads over and over.
The deadline had been extended at least twice, in an effort to make certain that the public was fully informed about this major technological switch.
And yet, I am certain, that many, many procrastinators were caught unaware yesterday.
No matter how many times you extend a deadline, there are some people that will just wait and wait and wait.
Oh, that reminds me, I need to start collecting my income tax records for 2008!
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Richard,
I heard a report last night that over a million got caught without the converter box. The good news is that now they can't watch the mostly crap on TV.
BTW...I know one Richard who procrastinted and filed an extension of his taxes. Could there be two?
Rich
Rich...
It's just a matter of practicing what we preach! lol and have a great Saturday!
GOOD MORNING RICHARD! I wonder what in the world are they waiting for or how hard can it be to take care of a few things?! Your story reminds me of yesterday when I went to have some nails pulled out of my tires. While waiting, the mechanic turned on the TV and up comes the static. He mumbled under his breathe that he wouldn't get to watch his shows and walked away irritated. At that point I wondered if I needed to remind him why I brought my car in and if he was going to need more time to fix it! -- Gabrielle
Boy you got this right. Time is what it is. Of the essence. :)
Its always this way with these deadlines. Eventually you have to just do it otherwise those procrastinators will just keep procrastinating.
Richard, a good number of the people in DC were not ready. The TV stations set up hot lines to take calls and from the news segment, they looked pretty busy. Good luck with your taxes. Have a good weekend!
Richard, The wife and I were talking about this very thing last week. One lady on TV said that she was to old and more or less didn't want to be bothered with the change. So today she is probably being bothered by not having a tv to watch.
BTW, thanks for reminding me about my taxes........
Gabrielle...
It really does make you wonder if the guy was "on top of his game!" lol and thanks for the validation!
Candice...
It was probably the most publicized "secret" ever, and yet they were caught by surprise. Thanks for the comment.
Stacey-Ann...
And I'll bet that they were angry when the plug was finally pulled! Thanks, my friend.
TV? We rarely watch TV we can see anything on our computer...we are one of the procrastinators because its just not that important...but we do have our coupons to fix the problem and we will. Were we supposed to file taxes? LOL...kidding..
Richard - I am not a fan of government intrusion at any level, but this proposed change has been scrolled across every tv channel I can think of for at least 2 years. Not to mention the hype on the daily news channels, newspapers, posters inside every store that sells anything electronic ... there's no excuse for those folks to not have acquired a converter box if that's what they needed.
2008 taxes? Crud! I'm still looking for my 2007s!
I have a bad habit of putting unpleasant or confusing things off until I have time to really think about them... and of course, there is never a good time to think about them!! But I did call my cable company to make sure I didn't need anything further than the cable boxes I already had!! Good luck with those taxes!
I was going to post a response to this blog, but I think I'll do it tomorrow....
I suspect that many of the rural folks were relying on the Low Powered TV Stations to continue to provide them with the necessary TV.
Oops, that's an oxymoron.
I've been "thinking" about working on my 2008 tax returns too.
Richard - would you postpone further responses on this post for awhile until I can get back a read it?
Richard, it starts at an early age. We tell our kids, NO. Then we tell them NO again. Then we tell them NO again.
If it is not enforced or taught that No means no the kids grow up knowing that a few more no's are coming.
Not like this hasn't been talked about for years.
Not even thinking about the 08 taxes until Oct.
I am usually just the opposite...I am ready when I know a date. My antenna is up and working great...Maybe a new profession?;-}
Sorry, Richard. I couldn't read your post... it was covered with SNOW.
I'm a lot of things but not a procrastinator. T.V. is working fine and taxes are filed but that's because I'm too afraid of the consequences LOL
With all that is going on in this country I cannot understand how the switch to digital could be a concern of the federal government, sounds more like a business problem.
Michael...
I wonder how the analog TV viewers found out about the hotlines? lol
Don...
And I'll just bet that she is angry today! Get on that paperwork, my friend!
Midori...
We do tend to put things off, don't we! lol
Carol...
On the VERY TV's that don't work now and that are creating intense withdrawal symptoms. This is really very telling of the populace, isn't it? THX.
Susan...
My mother-in-law kept trying to get a converter box, and we kept telling her that since she has cable, she didn't need it. Hopefully now she knows we were right! Thnks, my dear friend.
Cheryl...
Lol, that was funny!
Richard, it is human nature for many, the "cram" effect for studying for the final exam. Anything painful put off till the last minute. A hockey stick effect. Some of my best work happens when I have no time to do it. I don't fight it. But not procrastinating is a lot less stressful for sure. Sometimes also if you put stuff off the problem goes away on its own too. Not true with the advent of digital TV. You will just get a snowy screen. Live and learn.
Never understood this whole thing anyway. I do wonder how many people got caught. Interesting post, the things you think of!
Lenn...
Sometimes thinking about them ruins my day! Thanks
Mike...
I would, but then you would probably need another postponement until you recover from your outing! THX
Missy...
I guess it's just human nature! Thanks for the comment.
There will always be those that put off tasks and get caught by their procrastination.
Richard: Agreed!... I say you could move the deadline 4 times and it still wouldn't make any difference. There is always going to be those that are proactive and get ready, and those that wait until it's done, and react... Just flip the friggin' switch! They'll get it or not...
I was doing a series of marketing conversations at an office in our area... The first 2 were at 9:00 AM... Before session three the office manager called me and asked if we could start at 9:30 AM. That way everyone would be on time and we wouldn't be bothered with starting late... Sure thing, I said, but it won't make any difference... Guess which 4 people were still late? Yep...
I'm gonna read this post tomorrow and then I promise I'll comment. Really.
Doesn't Alan May just kill you!! Lol!
LOL...one of my pet peeves (yes, you can imagine I am always the one who arrives early) is when a meeting is called for a certain time, yet the same folks repeatedly show up late. START THE MEETING and don't recap. Maybe eventually some of them will get the message. It's self centered and rude. /rant over/
Hi Richard,
you are probably right...I'm sure there are many people who weren't prepared for the switch, and now they are looking for someone to blame.
Richard- What is so bad about this situation is my husband and I were using the countdown to Feb 17th as the countdown to the birth of our daughter. She came early on February 2nd and is now 4 months old! One local station also had some other changes so it is constantly on there if someone you know can't get channel xyz please have them rescan or call this number for help.